'Cruella' is an unexpected treat, with Emma Stone's dark spin on the Disney villain's origins

"Cruella" confounds expectations in mostly delightful ways, particularly for what amounts to a supervillain origin-story prequel inspired by a 60-year-old animated movie. Credit much of that to a twin dose of Emma power -- as in Stone and Thompson -- in a movie that might owe its life to "101 Dalmatians," but which centers around a tasty cat fight.

Disney's latest brand extension comes a quarter century after Glenn Close portrayed Cruella de Vil in the live-action "Dalmatians," setting a high bar for dog-hating villainy. Stone, however, makes the younger version of the character her own -- she's as much Catwoman with her leather outfits and purred dialogue -- and finds a worthy antagonist in Thompson, with the two modeling a parade of frocks that suggest the costume and set designers were having the time of their lives.